Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India arrived in Kyiv on Friday, furthering a long diplomatic effort by Ukraine to engage non-Western nations in potential settlement talks in the war with Russia.
While many leaders of countries backing Ukraine, including President Biden, have visited Kyiv, Mr. Modi’s trip is the highest-profile wartime visit of a leader of a nation with a neutral stance on the conflict.
Ukrainian officials have said that they do not see a mediating role for India, but they portrayed Mr. Modi’s visit as a welcome show of support for their country during the war. The visit is a first by an Indian leader since Ukraine gained independence in 1991.
In comments to reporters in Poland before traveling into Ukraine, Mr. Modi said he intended to discuss the war.
But the Indian leader has carefully calibrated his country’s relations with the two warring nations. He visited Moscow last month, and India has remained an important trading partner with Russia.
India sent a representative to a Ukrainian-organized peace summit in June intended by Kyiv to win backing for its negotiating positions in potential talks. But India did not join the nations that signed a communiqué after the summit supporting three points of the Ukrainian plan.
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